Newbies! Sometimes you've just gotta laugh!

[DutchmenSport]

OK, my wife has a friend (former work colleague) that is several states away. He put a post on Facebook just the other day that made us laugh so much, we though we'd wet our pants.

He's never owned and never used any type of RV before, and I don't think he's ever's slept anywhere except in his own bed or a motel room all his life. He has no concept of what "camping" is all about.

So, he put this post on Facebook that he wants to take a vacation and "rent a drivable camper."

Well... we laughed so hard on that one we almost died!

My wife did tell him "gently" on Facebook that a "drivable camper" is called a motor home and fall into 3 categories, Class A, B, C, with a very quick description of what each one was.

We were on our way home from a great week-end camping ourselves when his name came up in conversation. And once again, we both laughed at that comment.

It is a reminder that there are some people out there who are absolutely, completely, wholeheartedly clueless about camping and RV usage or ownership!

Just thought I share this "funny one" with everyone!

[Crabbypatty]

If you knew about everything that was going to happen before hand, rving wouldnt be any fun! Along the way, creates all kinds of memories...

[Scottiemom]

Merrykalia wrote:
We had some friends from church, whom upon hearing several of us discuss an upcoming camping trip, commented "I don't see how your enjoy all that stuff. I like my creature comforts."

I commented to her that we had a king size memory foam bed, a 5' wide shower with hot/cold running water, a toilet that belongs to me, an LG residential refrigerator, a microwave, stove/oven and a sink in an island, a couch and two heated recliners with massage, a satellite dish and 5 TVs along with air conditioning. I also have an outdoor kitchen with a grill.

She said she just didn't think that kind of life was her, she just loved being at home. (Just a side note - she lives in a mobile home that is about the same size as our fifth wheel.)

Some people just don't get it.

I will never forget the "diva" I worked with prior to our retirement/fulltiming 14 years ago. Still on the road. But when she asked what "fulltiming was, I explained in detail. She looked at me and said "I don't think I could ever do that. I like my FURNITURE too much." Wow!

She's still in a house with her furniture.

Dale

[bikendan]

SDcampowneroperator wrote:

The 'new' to their unit do not deserve scorn when they have issues that are part of the learning curve, as that is a lack of education not necessarily their fault.

Back to my previous post, in this age of information and the internet, there's no excuse for "lack of education".
YouTube alone has enough videos to educate a newbie, on every aspect of RVs and owning one.
i took advantage of educating myself, back in 2003, before buying my first travel trailer. i used mostly forums, like RV.net and online videos to learn as much as i could BEFORE buying the trailer and truck.

too many newbies apparently have no interest in researching RVs and learning about them. instead they spend the money, bring it home and then realize that they have no clue what to do.

[SDcampowneroper]

4x4van, the previous poster made a good point, about the learning curve. Weve all had it especially with learning the limitations of compressing all creature facilities into a compact package.
The 'new' to their unit do not deserve scorn when they have issues that are part of the learning curve, as that is a lack of education not necessarily their fault. Absorption of information in a walk thru with a service manager could have a low % of impression.
In a S&B, we only have to react as we have unlimited water power waste facilities.
In any RV we must be proactive of those utilities .
Be the teacher. Laugh with, not at.

[4x4van]

As a kid, we started in a canvas covered truckbed shell, then moved on to a truck camper. Eventually a TC with an actual toilet (Woohoo!)! Got married, started camping out of a Toyota minivan, with my own "camping" setup. First child came along, bought a small class C (that was 29 years ago). Moved on to a bigger class C, and a couple of years ago, a class A. So, even with my first MH, I wasn't a "newbie" and knew how "most" of the systems worked, but it was and still is a constant learning curve.

I do, however, get a chuckle sometimes at people who have never camped in an RV before, buying a new, large motorhome or trailer with no clue how all of the various systems work both individually, and together. They are in for a really steep learning curve, and hopefully they are resilient enough to get through it.

Friends of ours decided they wanted to start camping with us and by themselves; started with a cheap used trailer to get their feet wet, and relied on our long term expertise to help them out with the inevitable "challenges". Turned out to be a good fit, and they purchased a larger, new TT after a couple of years, and continue to camp.

While watching/reading about newbies can often times be quite entertaining, I do try to help out when I can. Newbie is just "new", not stupid.

[Boon_Docker]

Actually I will help you out here.

Clueless: A persons lack of information to understand something.
Stupid: Too dumb to understand the information given.

[Boon_Docker]

^^ You're funny! Thanks for the laugh this morning.

[troubledwaters]

Boon Docker wrote:

bid_time wrote:

Crowe wrote:
Right now, even after just a few posts, I can envision some newbie saying "no thanks" to the lifestyle because of the ridicule on here. It's disheartening. Not everyone is well-spoken and because someone describes something in terms HE understands it is not up to us to call him stupid. Lighten up.

Well said. Let anyone's who was born knowing eveything about everything please make themselves known here and now. Otherwise quit casting rocks, you were once just as stupid.

Who is calling someone stupid on this thread?
Clueless, yes. Stupid, no.

Just for my education (so I don't look stupid in the future), maybe you could define for me the difference between "absolutely, completely, wholeheartedly clueless" vs. "stupid".

[austinjenna]

I guess it wasnt the least bit funny to me, camper rv, trailer all mean the same to me.

[Crowe]

Clueless, yes. Stupid, no.

In context they are one and the same.

[Boon_Docker]

bid_time wrote:

Crowe wrote:
Right now, even after just a few posts, I can envision some newbie saying "no thanks" to the lifestyle because of the ridicule on here. It's disheartening. Not everyone is well-spoken and because someone describes something in terms HE understands it is not up to us to call him stupid. Lighten up.

Well said. Let anyone's who was born knowing eveything about everything please make themselves known here and now. Otherwise quit casting rocks, you were once just as stupid.

Who is calling someone stupid on this thread?
Clueless, yes. Stupid, no.

[monkey44]

I think some folks on here see themselves earlier in "camper life" and find humor in some of the posts. I'm certain I do, as it brings me back to when I asked "stupid questions" that are never really stupid --

These same newbies will hang in there and answer for other newbies those same questions these newbies ask today >>> Paying it forward !!

So, oldsters take your laughs, newbies take no offense, and engage the wealth of knowledge AND humor on this forum. You'll soon learn to ignore the real jerks ( a few ) and embrace the rest.

[captnjack]

drsteve wrote:
A guy doesn't know the terminology and that is somehow hilarious and worthy of ridicule? SMH...

The OP thought it was so funny he almost peed himself. I think he needs to get out more.

That verbal mis-step was mildly amusing at best!

[JAC1982]

Crowe wrote:
Right now, even after just a few posts, I can envision some newbie saying "no thanks" to the lifestyle because of the ridicule on here. It's disheartening. Not everyone is well-spoken and because someone describes something in terms HE understands it is not up to us to call him stupid. Lighten up.

This^

Prior to 6 years ago, I had never even stayed in any kind of RV/camper/trailer/whatever. In 2012 I stayed with my (then boyfriend) husband and his family in their 5th wheel (which they call a camper), boondocking at a music festival. I had to be taught the appropriate way to shower, how to use the water pump switch, had to be told not to leave lights on etc. Prior to that I had only tent camped as a kid, 20+ years ago. We bought our own travel trailer in 2013, and our current rig last year, and have learned A TON since then and are always learning new stuff.

We all start somewhere, and it is pretty disheartening to see so many people ridicule newbies.